Maybe it was the fact I hadn't got sleep in the past eighteen hours. Maybe it was the fact I didn't like being woken up before eleven o' clock. Or maybe it was just the simple fact that I was tired.
So you can imagine my annoyance when I woke up feeling like I was inside a freezer in the middle of the night.
I let out a groan as my eyes instinctively blinked open. And much to my dismay - quickly decided I needed to jump into action and figure out why two clammy arms were death-gripping my waist - leaving me with a bit of a head rush.
You could almost imagine my surprise when I realize that those two clammy arms belonged to the one and only god of mischief. Who, by the way, was blue. Blue.
Okay...that is definitely not because of the light of my arc reactor, I think after a moment of staring in shock.
"Agghh!" I yelp as I flinch violently backwards, desperately trying to pry Loki's arms off of me. The adrenaline causing me to wake up completely. More or less.
Call me rude or inspective, I don't care - waking up to find your boyfriend looking like an avatar is surprising, and I feel like I reacted as anyone would.
Loki let out a cry of agony that couldn't have been just because of the loss of contact. His head shoots straight up and I finally get to look at his face, which was cuddling my abdomen previously.
The soft light of my arc reactor reveals the saddened look Loki has plastered onto his face. Along with the new blue look he's taken on, I catch a glimpse of fearful red eyes. I frown as he pulls away, covering his face.
"Don't l-look at m-me!" Loki's breath hitches and soft cries start to echo throughout the room. I mutter to J.A.R.V.I.S to turn the lights to forty percent, the only hint of acknowledgment I get is the bedroom lights dimly flickering on.
"Loki..." I say softly, hesitantly scooting closer to him. My fingers brush through his hair in an attempt to comfort him. Lacking a negative reaction, I decided to press forward and curl around him from behind. With my arms around his stomach and my chin on his shoulder, I realize with a start that it feels like I'm hugging a snowman, and goosebumps arise from my exposed skin.
"Go away, Tony..." Loki warns, his voice partly muffled because of his hands. I sigh sharply before answering stubbornly, "No. Tell me what's wrong."
A few minutes pass before Loki finally answers, "I had a nightmare." I carefully squeeze him in reassurance, but my eyebrows ruffle in confusion. "...So why are you blue?" I ask softly before I start to pepper kisses on his neck and shoulder, knowing that positive physical contact is important after a bad nightmare. And lets be honest, I would know.
Jesus...he's so fucking cold, I think worryingly.
"I'm upset...I have momentarily broken the glamour..." He answers, his face still buried in his hands. I notice that he's stopped crying and celebrate a bit, mentally fist-pumping at the small victory.
I stay silent until I realize that I still have no idea why Loki looks like a sexy smurf. "I still don't understand, babe..." I mutter against Loki's shoulder, deciding that I should stop kissing him before my lips fall off due to frostbite.
Loki chokes out a humorless laugh and retracts his face from his hands, still not granting me access to look at him. "This is my Jotün form... This...this, is what I actually look like..." my eyes catch a glimpse of a single tear sliding down Loki's face, only to freeze completely before falling out of my view. The faint sound of ice smashing echoing briefly throughout the room.
"Oh," I say simply as I start to blink excessively. This is what Thor meant about Loki's true heritage? He acted like it was the worst thing in the world, I pondered for a moment.
"I can leave if you wish...I look hideous I know. I should just go, you shouldn't have to see me like this..." As his voice trails off, I shiver after a moment before I come to my senses. When Loki attempts to wiggle out of my grasp I respond with a tightening grip.
Losing my version of a sensitive tone, I ask, "What are you talking about? I can't see you. Which - by the way - is really starting to get annoying. Turn around, stupid."
Loki doesn't say anything back, but he doesn't try to pull away again. "And hurry up too, it's as cold as The North fucking Pole in here..." I add jokingly, giving Loki the only type of verbal comfort I know.
After what seems like hours, but in reality is only like two minutes, pass before Loki finally turns to face me. His eyes continue to stare at the bedsheets as I get a good look at his face.
In the dim light, I make out beautiful patterns on Loki's forehead and surrounding skin, a partially darker shade of blue covers the outdents, making them stand out on his face. Okay, I will admit that Loki's eyes are a little unnerving. They still stare at the covers with unwavering intensity, but that doesn't make them any less creepy. They are a dark red, leaving them with no other color expect the dark crimson and blackness of his pupils.
After a minute of staring, Loki jerks away violently. "Are you happy now? Does it bring you joy to see your sorry excuse of a lover? Don't lie to me, I know how much of a monster I am! I knew you'd stop loving me after you saw me like this..." Loki rants loudly, his voice turning quiet towards the end before it fades to a whisper.
Facing Loki's bare back once more I frown, internally and externally. "You thought I'd think you disgusting after seeing your Frosty The Snowman form? I think you're as hardheaded as me."
Loki turns to me in disbelief, a hope pooling in his eyes only I would detect. "You mean...you still want to be with me?" He questions with suspicion lacing his voice. I roll my eyes in irritation. "Yes, stupid."
Before Loki can bring himself back to square-one with this Jotün self-esteem issue, I quickly pull him into a hug. "You're still you," I state with my annoyance and weariness apparent in my tone. My body screams at me, definitely not liking the cold.
"I don't under why you doubt my intellect," Loki huffs, giving into my hug. "I'm just kidding. It's how I express my love!" I proclaim with a pat on his back.
Pulling away from Loki's freezing body, I ask, "Now that everything is sunshine and rainbows, would you mind slipping back into your Asgardian form or whatever? As sexy as this is, I'm starting to lose feeling in my entire body." Loki chuckles before pale flesh starts to override the smurf-blue. I yawn wearily as I wait.
As soon as Loki's Jotün form subsides, I practically sprint under the covers, desperate to find warmth once more. But before I get too comfy, I command tiredly, "Lights off J, and turn up the heat a bit would ya?"
"Right away, sir."
Loki slides under the sheets after he produces a yawn of his own. After a moment or two I mutter against my pillow, "Wait, what was your nightmare about?" The sentence turning into a yawn halfway through.
"...I forgot," drawls Loki's vague reply. I hum a bit to myself as I wrap my arms around Loki's thin frame. "Good," I breath against his shoulder.
FIN.